Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFTortricidae Members: Olethreutes Members: 10 NC Records

Olethreutes malana (Fernald, 1882) - Malana Leafroller Moth

Olethreutes malanaOlethreutes malanaOlethreutes malanaOlethreutes malana
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Tortricoidea		 Family:
Tortricidae		Subfamily:
Olethreutinae		Tribe:
Olethreutini		P3 Number:
51a0588		 MONA Number:
2820.00
Comments: Olethreutes is a large genus with over 130 recognized species worldwide. North America has around 80 recognized species, with at least 37 species occurring in North Carolina. Some species are very difficult to identify due to interspecific similarities in color and forewing pattern and only subtle differences in genitalia (Gilligan et al., 2008). In many instances, knowledge of the host plant is essential for a confident determination. All of the Nearctic species are leaf-tiers or leaf-rollers on deciduous trees and shrubs.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Chapman and Lienk (1971)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Chapman and Lienk (1971)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Olethreutes malana is one of our most distinctive Olethreutes and can be distinguished by the extensive white coloration on the forewing (Gilligan et al., 2008). The medial fascia is greatly reduced, with the remnants represented by a dark spot on the costa and some gray shading at the dorsal margin. The subtornal patch and postmedial bar are also missing and replaced by whitish scaling with faint, darker dusting or mottling. The apical half of the costa and the outer margin have varying amounts of blackish dusting. The most prominent mark is a blackish sub-basal patch with scattered paler scales that extends from the inner margin to near the center of the wing. The patch has a posterior lobe that is darker than the remainder of the patch. The thorax has alternating horizontal black and white bands, and the thoracic tuft is black. The head has a blackish tuft, and the palps are mostly sordid-white with the third segment mostly black except for white at the extreme tip.
Wingspan: 14-15 mm (Heinrich, 1926).
Forewing Length: 5.5-7.0 mm (Gilligan et al., 2008).
Adult Structural Features: Gilligan et al. (2008) has illustrations of the male and female genitalia.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Chapman and Lienk (1971) studied this species in apple orchards in New York and the following is based on their observations. The half-grown larvae are thought to overwinter within a hibernaculum since the first larvae observed in the spring are already at second and third instars. The overwintering larvae feed on opening buds and emerging leaves, with a preference for the terminal buds on a shoot. The larvae reside in tubular, silk-lined cases throughout their development and feed on the surrounding opening buds and leaves. They bind together the bud and leaves and often kill the entire bud. The larvae in New York finish feeding from late-May through late-June, and the adults appear in late-June through July. Although poorly documented, the authors surmised that the females lay eggs shortly after emerging and mating, and that the larvae feed on the leaves until about half-grown. They then enter a state of diapause and overwinter. More details on this aspect of the life cycle are needed. The mature larvae in Chapman and Lienk's (1971) study reached 13 mm and had brownish bodies, legs, and anal shields, along with dark brown heads and thoracic shields. The pupae were slender, yellowish-brown and about 7 mm long.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Olethreutes malana is endemic to eastern North America where is occurs in southern Ontario and Quebec, and in the US from Maine and other New England states westward to Illinois and Wisconsin, and southward through the Appalachian region to West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and western North Carolina. As of 2024, all of our records are from lower-elevation sites in the Blue Ridge.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Olethreutes malanaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Flight Comments: The adults have been observed from June through September in different areas of the range, with a seasonal peak commonly in July. As of 2024, our records range from mid-June through early-August.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations can be found in apple orchards, semi-wooded residential neighborhoods, fragmented landscapes with woods and fields, and mesic hardwood forests.
Larval Host Plants: The larvae feed on the opening buds and young leaves of Common Apple (Malus domestica) and were significant pest in past years (Fernald, 1882; Heinrich, 1926; Chapman and Lienk, 1971). They have also been reared on American Hazelnut (Corylus americana; Godfrey et al. 1987), and possibly on Chinese Plum (Prunus salicina) based on a museum note (Heinrich, 1926). Chapman and Lienk (1971) surmised that the larvae fed on native Crataegus and Prunus species prior to the introduction of commercial apples into the US, but this has not been confirmed. As of 2024, we do not have any host records for North Carolina. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights, and the larvae can be found feeding on the young shoots and opening buds of the host plants. More information is needed on host use in North Carolina and elsewhere.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR[S2S3]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species appears to be uncommon in North Carolina where it reaches the southern limit of its range.

 Photo Gallery for Olethreutes malana - Malana Leafroller Moth

Photos: 7
Olethreutes malanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-06-27
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Olethreutes malanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-06-27
Madison Co.
Comment:
Olethreutes malanaRecorded by: Vin Stanton on 2021-07-08
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Olethreutes malanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-06-18
Madison Co.
Comment:
Olethreutes malanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-06-18
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Olethreutes malanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-30
Madison Co.
Comment:
Olethreutes malanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-30
Madison Co.
Comment: